So Close
by Seylin
Summary: They were so close then… only to be so far away. Slash. Cain/Glitch. Het. Cain/Adora


Title: So Close  
Author: Seylin  
Summary: They were so close then… only to be so far away.  
Rating: PG  
Warnings: Slash. Cain/Glitch. Het. Cain/Adora  
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Imagiquest Entertainment. Song lyrics belong to Jon McLaughlin. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

So Close

"How long will you be gone?" Adora asked as she watched Cain pack.

"About three months if things go will," he answered with a smile. He was getting ready to leave their small town for Central City to train as a tin man. Cain's father had been a tin man and he had practically worshiped his father, he had never wanted to be anything else and now he had the chance. Cain turned and looked at Adora, who was standing in the doorway; he chuckled softly when he saw that she was pouting. He crossed the small space between them and took her into his arms. "It won't seem that long Dora and the moment I get back we'll be married."

Adora smiled as she looked up at him. "I will count down the minutes until then."

"And plan a wedding fit for the Queen herself," Cain said just before he kissed her.

---

It had been almost three months since then; his class would be graduating in less than two weeks. At least what was left of his class, one hundred men had started the training but over the course of the past two months that number had dwindled from one hundred to thirty-five. Cain had written Adora every chance he got telling her about everything that he had learned and how much he missed her.

Now Cain stood in front of a mirror making sure his uniform was perfectly straight. The Queen was holding a ball to celebrate the birth of her new daughter and all of the cadets were invited to attend. Cain had particularly wanted to attend but his commander had made it a requirement saying it never hurt to get in good graces with the royals. Cain knew this to be true and that was why he was now walking the short distance to the palace.

---

Ambrose sighed as he watched the swirls of colors from the dancing women's dresses. The women looked beautiful and their escorts looked just as handsome in their tuxes. The Queen, on his right, and her consort, further to the right, sat on the raised stage also watching the dancer's, smiles on their faces. Ambrose itched to dance; if there was one thing that made him feel alive it was dancing. However, he was never asked to dance and after being turned down so many times he had learned it was better to just stand next to the Queen and become part of the wallpaper.

Cain sighed as he stood beside the refreshment table watching the dancing. The mixtures of colors going around and around made him dizzy so he looked past the people to where the Queen and her consort sat. They both looked extremely happy, of course that was to be understood since they had just had a daughter not very long ago. Cain smiled thinking of how Adora would look glowing with happiness once they decided to have a child. Something drew his attention away from the Queen to her left where his gaze landed on a slightly younger looking man with dark hair and even darker eyes. There was a strict expression set on his face but Cain saw the boredom and deep longing.

Cain didn't know what it was but he felt compelled to make his way across the room to the dark haired, dark eyed man. When he first stepped close he got no response, it seemed like this man had been ignored enough to be used to someone standing so close. He cleared his throat lightly and a second later their eyes were locked together. Cain's heart stopped. He didn't know what this was… when he had met Adora his heart had sped up not completely stopped. Cain released the breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"May I have this dance?" Cain questioned holding out a hand as a slow melody started to play. The brown eyes widened in surprise and then looked to the Queen, who was watching from the corner of her eye curiously.

"May I your majesty?" The man asked, there was almost a pleading edge to his voice. She gave him a smile.

"Of course Ambrose, enjoy yourself," she answered. He smiled and turned back to Cain taking the offered hand. Cain escorted Ambrose out onto the floor, he spun Ambrose once and then pulled him close, and they slid easily into the dance finding the natural rhythm that existed between them.

"Your name is Ambrose?" Cain questioned as they waltzed across the floor. Ambrose nodded. "And you must be pretty important to the Queen to stand by her side all night when your eyes tell how much you wanted to be out here."

"I am her head advisor… you could see how badly I wanted to be out here?" Ambrose asked softly.

"Any idiot could if they were looking," Cain answered. Ambrose smiled, a light blush coloring his cheeks. Cain smiled in return as he stared into Ambrose's eyes. At this moment they were the only two in the room, pressed close, especially during the turns of the dance. Cain could feel parts of his body that he hadn't paid attention to in years… like the tips of his toes.

**You're in my arms  
And all the world is calm  
The music playing on for only two  
So close together  
And when I'm with you  
So close to feeling alive**

Cain had never forgotten that dance or the following nights when he had come to the palace after training to listen to Ambrose talk about the inventions he was working on that would help the kingdom. The days had never seemed to past by so quickly as those remaining days of his training had. On the day of his graduation he saw Ambrose watching in the crowd with a happy smile on his lips.

Twenty annuals later, more than a million replays of watching his family taken from him, more than enough time to think of how everything could have been different. Had he not wanted to follow in his fathers footsteps he could have stayed with Adora, they would have been married… he would have gotten a job in town… he would have been unhappy as he was now.

How many times had he closed his eyes and dreamed that Adora had returned and let him out of this prison? He dreamed of hearing the pins being removed, the front falling open and returning to her arms. He missed her smile the most, the smile that could make his heart speed up…

Cain also remembered a similar smile that had made his heart stop completely. That night when he had held Ambrose in his arms he had been so close to giving up everything… staying right there with him. The day of graduation Ambrose had hugged him and that was all he wanted.

---

One dull clang… what was that? A second and third followed, Cain blinked and for once willingly looked through the window on the front of the tin suit. The fuzzy image of a person on the other side jumped back at seeing his face but then after glancing around the figure reached back out and dusted a small spot off.

A moment later another figure appeared and 'clunk', 'clunk', 'clunk' the first pin came lose. The sound was repeated and then the front of the suit opened, the two figures on the other side hurrying back at the smell that came from inside the suit. Cain stared at them for a moment before he fell forward.

"…Where are they…"

---

An hour later Cain had cleaned himself up he stood and turned back to the man and the woman watching him. He didn't know who the woman was but the man… there was something about him. It had been many years but he could have sworn… no it couldn't be. Cain walked past them and then paused for a moment, he was so close.

"Much obliged for the help," he said and then walked on.

**A life goes by  
Romantic dreams will stop  
So I bid mine goodbye and never knew  
So close was waiting, waiting here with you  
And now forever I know  
All that I wanted to hold you  
So close**

Cain winced as he pulled his shaving knife from his pocket and slowly opened it. He gathered a bit of strength and then hurled it at the long coat holding Glitch. They were so close to defeating the witch, so close to being happy, this long coat and alchemist weren't going to ruin that.

Freed from the long coat's grasp Glitch went into action and had the long coat dispatched of quick enough. Glitch turned ready to take care of the alchemist but that didn't happen. The electroshock stick was touched to his chest, pain flared across his expressive face and he fell back to the floor unconscious.

Raw roared in anger jumping up from where he had been unconscious against the wall.

"Leave him alone," he growled.

---

Cain made his way over to Glitch's still form on the floor as quickly as he could. His heart had stopped the moment Glitch had fallen to the floor and it hadn't started back yet. He took a handful of the fabric of Glitch's coat into his hand and shook him. Glitch couldn't be dead… not now.

"Glitch wake up. Come on. Glitch wake up!" With that he backhanded Glitch unable to think of another way of waking him. Glitch's eyes flew open and his hand came up to his cheek.

"Ow… oh hello… do I know you?"

Cain let out a sigh of relief. "Good morn'n sweetheart."

"Cain!"

**So close to reaching that famous happy end  
Almost believing this was not pretend  
And now you're beside me and look how far we've come  
So far we are so close**

"Blood pressure dropping," one of the alchemists said. "We're losing him."

"What's happening?" DG demanded. She received no answer as the alchemists rushed to try and save Glitch. An hour later the surgery was complete but Glitch… or Ambrose, if the surgery had worked, was unconscious and didn't show any signs of waking up.

"What happened?!" Cain roared when he was told, he grabbed the front of the alchemist's robes and pushed him up against the wall, his gun under his chin. The alchemist looked frightened for good reason.

"Cain… it's not the alchemist's fault. They did everything they could," DG told him trying to pacify his anger. Cain growled and dropped the alchemist; he put his gun away and then went into Glitch's room and brought a chair near the bed. He sat and didn't show any signs that he was going to leave any time soon.

For two weeks Cain barely left Glitch's side, his food was brought to him and he only left for about ten minutes to relieve himself and freshen up. Finally, one afternoon when he was dosing a soft moan caught his attention. Cain immediately perked up and took Glitch's hand.

"Sweetheart?" He questioned.

"…Ambrose…"

---

It had been a long week for them all, Ambrose had woken and was in the clear to recover now but he had still been sleeping all but about three hours a day. DG, Raw and Cain had taken shifts to sit with him and get him to eat when he did wake. Now on the 7th day of his recovery Ambrose decided that he wanted to get out of bed.

"Are you sure?" Cain questioned as Ambrose pushed the covers back and brought his legs over the side of the bed. Ambrose nodded and got to his feet. He swayed his legs weak from lack of use. Cain jumped up and supported him on one side; he gave Ambrose a pointed look.

"I have not been out of bed for over two weeks, a bit of muscle weakness is to be expected," Ambrose defended. They stared into each other's eyes, both willing the other to look away first and admit they were wrong.

"_I should kiss him already_," Cain thought staring into those deep brown eyes. With a sigh he looked away without acting on his thoughts. Ambrose dropped his gaze before looking back at Cain; there was a certain sadness in his eyes.

"_Kiss me already_," he thought.

**How could I face the faceless days  
If I should lose you now?  
We're so close  
To reaching that famous happy end  
And almost believing this was not pretend  
Let's go on dreaming for we know we are  
So close  
So close  
And still so far**


End file.
